Face processing: the interplay of nature and nurture.

A number of behavioral and neuroscientific studies suggest that face processing is qualitatively different from the processing of other visual stimuli. Why? Is face processing in some sense innate? What role does experience play in the development of face processing? The authors review recent evidence related to these questions. They begin by identifying some of the ways in which face processing is special. They then consider findings that demonstrate a crucial role for experience-independent genetic mechanisms in the development of face processing and its neural substrates. Finally, the authors review studies demonstrating the crucial role played by experience-dependent mechanisms. These findings support the hypothesis that there is a genetic predisposition for a special face processing mechanism, but that experience plays a crucial role in tuning this mechanism during development.